The Oregon Ducks were upset by the then-ranked No. 21 UCLA Bruins on Saturday in Autzen Stadium, and a missed call only pours salt into the wound for Ducks fans as Oregon picks up its second loss of the season.
Big Ten Statement
The Big Ten released a statement on Sunday, announcing that the officials made a mistake when spotting the ball on Oregon's second two-point conversion attempt to tie the game in the fourth quarter.
"With 2:16 remaining in the fourth quarter of Saturday's UCLA-Oregon game, Big Ten officials incorrectly officiated Oregon's final two-point conversion attempt. Following the first attempt that resulted in a personal foul penalty for a facemask on the UCLA defense, the ball was spotted for the second attempt half-the-distance to the goal from the original line of scrimmage of the first attempt. Per the rule, the ball should have been spotted the half-the-distance to the goal from the end of the run of the first attempt," said the Big Ten.
"The Big Ten has been in contact with its officiating team from Saturday's game regarding the error and will continue to emphasize consistent application of the playing rules," the conference's statement continued.
What Happened in UCLA vs. Oregon
Oregon nearly tied the game when quarterback Brock Thomas found Evan Stewart over the middle for a 44-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, cutting UCLA's lead to 17-15. On the Ducks' first attempt at the two-point conversion, a facemask penalty the Bruins gave Oregon another shot as Thomas fell short of the goal line.
Thomas did gain some yardage, and the controversy lies in where the ball was spotted after the controversy. Instead of placing the ball inside the 1-yard line, half-the-distance to the goal from where Thomas was down, like the referee announced inside Autzen Stadium on Saturday, the officials spotted the ball at the 1.5-yard line, half-the-distance from the original try.
The moment prompted a reaction from Oregon coach Dan Lanning in the moment, who ran onto the field seemingly looking for an answer. Still, the officials did not follow the referee's announcement for an unknown reason.
The Ducks failed to convert the ensuing try on a rushing attempt by running back Jordon Davison, although Davison did appear to gain at least half a yard on that carry.
While the mistake and the statement from the Big Ten does not mean that Oregon should have won or that the Ducks would have won, but it does add a new element to the loss. A successful two-point conversion would have only tied the game.
Potential Implications for Oregon Ducks?
The College Football Playoff Selection Committee could already be taking into account the injury to quarterback Dante Moore into account when evaluating that loss, and the official statement from the Big Ten could also give the Ducks the benefit of the doubt in the two-point loss.
That being said, the team will likely have to run the table to even be considered for an at-large bid, which means beating teams like Nebraska, No. 25 Northwestern, No. 4 Ohio State, and the rest of the schedule.
As Oregon coach Dan Lanning emphasized on Saturday after the loss, he wants everyone to focus on the current moment instead of "10 weeks from now."
“We're fighting an uphill battle now, right? And it's again, you can't look 10 weeks ahead. You have to look at what's in front of us right now. We don't control our destiny anymore, right? It's not necessarily just up to us, but we do control how we respond. It's very similar to what I just told our players in the locker room, right?” said Lanning.
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